LA Clippers roster, schedule, stats (2017-2018) | professionals (2023)

History of the Los Angeles Clippers

Living in the shadow of the world famous Los Angeles Lakers is a great challenge. An impossible one, some will say. Of course, the numbers are atrocious and the Clippers have never won a championship in their history and are considered one of the worst teams of all time. However, the reputation has changed since 2010 and the new ownerSteve Ballmer's goal is to become champion.

so far from los angeles

The Clippers' story began far from California.The Upstate New York Buffalo Braves were one of three expansion teams to start the game in 1970., along with the Portland Trailblazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The team lost 60, 60 and 61 games in its first three seasons, despite welcoming North Carolina star Bob MacAdoo to the 1972 squad. Things quickly turned for the better as the Jack Ramsay-coached Braves enjoyed three consecutive playoff seasons.with the spectacular game of MacAdoo. The power forward/center with a nearly unblockable jump return led the NBA in scoring all those years and was named MVP in 1975.

But the turning point did not last long. The Braves shared their arena with the Canisius College basketball team. Planning home games turned out to be a difficult task. Fed up with the situation, owner Paul Snyder sold the team to John Y. Brown, who made a bold business move by trading his stars, including MacAdoo, and switching ownership of the franchise to Celtics owner Irv Levin in 1978. Levin was a film producer who fully intended to relocate the team to his native California.

A move to California

The Braves moved to San Diego that year andA nominating competition finally decided "Clippers"as a new name, in reference to the city known for the tall ships that sailed the Bay of San Diego. The move was a success as the Clippers won 43 games in their first season in the West, behind the outstanding play of World point guard B. Free, who finished second in the league at 28.9 points per game.Lloyd Bernard Free got his nickname from his high school days in Brooklyndue to his amazing jumping abilities. He became a fan favorite and was joined the following season by center Bill Walton, former NBA champion and MVP. A spectacular addition that brought little result. In his first season with San Diego, Walton played in 14 games for the Clippers before breaking the navicular bone in his left foot and missing the entire 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons. The local boy, who played college baseball at UCLA, battled through an extensive rehab program to finally return to the court. He played three seasons with the Clippers that never got close to $500.00 or made the playoffs under his tenure.

1984, two years after buying the franchise,Real estate mogul Donald Sterling moved the Clippers to Los Angeles without NBA approval. The league fined Sterling $25 million and filed a lawsuit demanding that the franchise be returned to San Diego and threatening to disband the team. The two sides settled down and the Clippers began playing in Los Angeles, racking up losses with remarkable continuity.

Anything but join the Clippers

His star players continued to be injured: Derek Smith, Norm Nixon, Marques Johnson or Danny Manning. Between 1986 and 1989, the Clippers lost 70, 65, and 61 games, respectively.The franchise's reputation was so bad that Danny Ferry, Duke's first draft pick, decided to sign with Italy., with Messagero Roma to avoid signing a contract in Los Angeles. He was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to point guard Ron Harper.

With Harper, forwards Ken Norman and Charles Smith, and the arrival of head coach Larry Brown, the Clippers found respectability. In 1992, 16 years after their last appearance, they returned to the playoffs, pushing the Utah Jazz to a crucial fifth game in the first round. They repeated the feat a year later, this time losing to the Houston Rockets in five games.

Former number one draft pickDanny Manning led the charge. As the NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player with Kansas in 1988, his NBA debut was marred by a knee injury. But with patience Manning returned to averaging 22.8 points per game in 1992-93, made the All-Star Game and 23.7 points per game in the first 42 games of the 1993-94 season. that is ifThe Clippers traded Manning to the Atlanta Hawks for Dominique Wilkins. The trade was a disappointment for both parties as the then-conference leading Hawks lost in the conference semifinals. The Clippers won just 27 games overall, and Wilkins was traded to the Boston Celtics after a few months.

Another dark period began for the Clippers, who said goodbye12 lost seasons in a row. The team failed to establish an identity and became synonymous with poor draft picks, most notably taking center Michael Olowokandi with the first pick in 1998.

young and spectacular

His fate changed in early 2000. The results remained modest, howeverThe Clippers found new popularity by assembling a spectacular young rosterand move to the Staples Center and share the building with the Lakers. Quentin Richardson, Darius Miles and Lamar Odom never made the playoffs, but they brought a breath of fresh air to the franchise. Odom was the prototype of a new brand of basketball. A 6-10 athlete who can play any position on the court, including point guard. But while the Clippers added considerable firepower in Elton Brand and Andre Miller, they didn't make the postseason due to poor team chemistry and injuries.

The 2005-06 season was a turning point for the team's front office image and strategy. The team chose to rely on veterans hosting former NBA champion Sam Cassell. With Brand, Corey Maggette or Cuttino Mobley they showed a clear improvement,Achieving his first winning record in 14 seasons, and clinched their first playoff berth since 1997. They also finished with a better record than the Lakers for the second straight year and clinched home-field advantage over the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers advanced to the second round, pushing the Phoenix Suns to seven games. General manager Elgin Baylor won the NBA Executive of the Year award this season.

praise of the city

This race had no tomorrow and the Clippers returned to the bottom of the standings. In December 2011, a trade changed their fortunes. Chris Paul arrived from the New Orleans Hornets and proved to be the perfect match for top draft pick Blake Griffin and young center DeAndre Jordan.The team was nicknamed Lob Citylike a spectacular dunk followed by an incredible alley-oop. Quickly becoming a star, Griffin was not only able to expand his game with his incredible athleticism.

Despite 56 wins in the 2012-13 season, the Clippers did not renew coach Vinny Del Negro's contract and signed Doc Rivers. He led the team to 57 wins and the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to the Thunder. However, the summer was marred by owner Donald Sterling's controversy. Sterling has been accused of racist behavior in the past and was filmed making derogatory comments about his wife. The incident sparked a public reaction andThe NBA imposed a lifetime ban on Sterlingand Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, bought the franchise for $2 billion. In his first season in charge, the Clippers again won 56 games, eliminated the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and won the series in game seven on Paul's pivotal shot with one second remaining. In the next series against the second-place Houston Rockets, they won 3-1, only to lose the next three games.

The ambition of the new owner of the Clippers is clearbring a championship to Los Angeles. He plans to build a new arena for his team and has summarily hired Jerry West as a special advisor. When the Lob City era ended, he was about to start a rebuilding period. But the Clippers quickly recovered. In the summer of 2019 they haveshowed off his newfound appeal by signing free agent Kawhi Leonard. A few days later, they acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, pulling off one of the best doubles in the league.